• Tuffy the Tufted Titmouse in Tootie’s Backyard.

Tuffy

the Tufted Titmouse​

Tuffy is a tufted titmouse who lives in Tootie’s backyard all year.

As a tufted titmouse, Tuffy belongs to the only species of titmouse in Louisiana. His closest Louisiana relative is Charlene the Carolina chickadee.

Tuffy belongs to the classification order Passeriformes, which means “sparrow-like” in Latin. As a member of the Passeriformes order, Tuffy is a passerine, or a songbird, and is an avid singer.

Tuffy and his family are small and can be hard to see. You can identify him by his solid gray color pattern, tiny size, and small crest, a tuft of feathers that he can raise when his territory is threatened, on his head.

Tuffy’s Home

Tuffy lives in a nest that he built in an old cavity that was excavated by Wilson the red-bellied woodpecker’s dad last year. Tuffy likes the safety of the cavity but doesn’t have the power to drill his own home. When Wilson’s dad moved to a space below, Tuffy moved into his old house and renovated the space.

He built a cup-shaped nest, lining it with hair, moss, and leaves. He even used some hair he stole from Tootie while the puppy played outside.

When Tuffy and his family are together, they form a group called a banditry or a dissimulation.

Where do you see potential nest cavities in your yard?

Tuffy’s Hobbies

Tuffy usually hangs out in the bushes and trees around Tootie’s backyard, hunting for food. While he flits around from branch to branch, he’ll call out with a sharp, metallic trill.

Tuffy’s best friend is Ruby, the ruby-crowned kinglet, and he often forages for his food with her.

Tuffy is related to Charlene, a Carolina chickadee that also lives in Tootie’s backyard and is often somewhere near Charlene and her family. Both Tuffy and Charlene are very small and fast. Tootie often hears them before he sees them.

Do you see Tuffy or his friends in your yard?

Tuffy’s Diet

Tuffy is an omnivore, meaning he eats meats, seeds, and fruits. He eats some bugs that live in the trees, and seeds that he finds in the trees. Sometimes he eats fruit, especially berries. His favorite foods are seeds and bugs.

Tuffy is a foliage gleaner, meaning that he hunts for bugs among the tree and bush leaves in Tootie’s backyard.

Tuffy uses a lot of energy, so he needs a lot of food. He spends most days hanging out near his friends and family, foraging for breakfast, lunch, supper, and snacks in the bushes and trees around Tootie’s backyard.

You can find him near berry bushes or in trees foraging for favorite foods.

What other animals do you know of that are omnivores?

Learn more about Tuffy.

Activities

Crossword


1. An animal that eats fruits, vegetables, and meat.
2. Type of meat that tufted titmice eat.
3. Tuft of hair on the top of Tuffy's head.
4. A relative of Tuffy's that you might also find in your yard.
5. Shape of Tuffy's nest.
6. Tuffy's size.
7. Where Tuffy finds food.
8. Bird who drilled Tuffy's home cavity.
9. Type of nest Tuffy found.
10. Close friend of Tuffy's.